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First 10-year Philippine passport released in HK

06 February 2018

Passport officer Rene B. Fajardo issues the passport to Bonna Bedia

The first 10-year Philippine passport
was released at the Philippine Consulate on Feb. 5, 2018, to Bonna Bee Bedia. This was less than a month since the new extended validity-passport was
launched in Manila

The expected launch of the
new passport has caused the number of applicants at the Consulate to more than
double since the start of the year, prompting Consul General Antonio A. Morales
to shuffle staff on Sundays, the busiest day for applicants.

The number of applications
on Sundays jumped to about 700 last month, compared with a 350 average for the
previous months.

The regular passport is
still being issued at the old price of $480 in Hong
Kong, and has the same number of pages, but with improved security
features. The requirements for renewal and application remain the same.

Under the new passport law
signed by President Rodrigo R. Duterte in October, regular passports will be
valid for 10 years for Filipino travelers 18 years old and above. Those under 18
will still be issued passports that are valid for five years.